Scottish Executive

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to investigate the effects of its graduate endowment scheme on graduate debt.

Mr Jim Wallace: Only graduates who began full-time degree courses from 2001-02 onwards, and who studied for at least three years, are liable to pay the graduate endowment. Mature students, those eligible for lone parents grant or disabled students allowance and those who undertook nursing, midwifery and allied health profession courses are exempt from liability. Payment of the graduate endowment is not due until 1 April following graduation and therefore the first cohort of graduates will not pay until April 2005.

  We will be undertaking a survey of income and expenditure of students this year. The survey will focus primarily on the income and expenditure which students have while studying. It will also collate the anticipated average debt on graduation and the extent to which that debt relates to student loans or borrowings from commercial sources.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to investigate the effects of its graduate endowment scheme on the Scottish economy.

Mr Jim Wallace: Only graduates who began full-time degree courses from 2001-02 onwards, and who studied for at least three years, are liable to pay the graduate endowment. Mature students, those eligible for lone parents grant or disabled students allowance and those who undertook nursing, midwifery and allied health profession courses are exempt from liability. Payment of the graduate endowment is not due until 1 April following graduation and therefore the first cohort of graduates will not pay until April 2005.

  We will be evaluating the effects of the graduate endowment.

  


Following are statistics on parliamentary questions and answers for the period from 29/12/2003 to 23/01/2004



  



Scottish Executive

Presiding Officer

Total



Total questions asked

508

23

531



Total questions answered

520

13

533



  


Total non-recess questions answered (breakdown)



Answered within:

Scottish Executive

Presiding Officer



0-10 days

185

9



11-20 days

19

0



21-30 days

3

0



31-40 days

1

0



40+ days

2

0



Total answered

210

9



  


Total recess questions answered (breakdown)



Answered within:

Scottish Executive

Presiding Officer



0-20 days

302

4



21-30 days

8

0



31-40 days

0

0



40+ days

0

0



Total answered

310

4